If a patient is diagnosed with skin cancer, surgery is often the primary modality of treatment. At Mittal Dermatology, we are particularly well trained in dermatologic surgery and have an office specifically designed for outpatient treatment of skin cancer. All surgical techniques are done in-office under local anesthesia. For low-risk skin cancers we often will recommend that the tumor be removed with a pre-specified margin of clinically normal tissue to ensure the cancer has been fully removed. After the removal of the tissue, we stop any bleeding and use dissolvable stitches that help facilitate a cosmetically pleasing result.
For high risk skin cancers we often recommend and perform Mohs surgery. This is an advanced treatment procedure for skin cancer that offers the highest potential for cure – even if the skin cancer has been previously treated. This procedure is a state-of-the-art treatment in which the physician serves as surgeon, pathologist and reconstructive surgeon. It relies on the accuracy of a microscope to trace and ensure removal of skin cancer down to its roots. This technique allows dermatologists to see beyond the visible disease, and to precisely identify and remove the entire tumor, leaving healthy tissue unharmed. This procedure is most often used in treating three of the most common forms of skin cancer: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The cure rate for Mohs surgery is the highest of all treatments for skin cancer — up to 99 percent even if other forms of treatment have failed. This procedure, the most exact and precise method of tumor removal, minimizes the chance of cancer regrowth and lessens the potential for scarring and disfigurement.